U.S. patent number 4,995,598 [Application Number 07/330,135] was granted by the patent office on 1991-02-26 for resilient mounting.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Dunlop Limited. Invention is credited to Peter L. Ingham.
United States Patent |
4,995,598 |
Ingham |
February 26, 1991 |
Resilient mounting
Abstract
A resilient mounting intended primarily to withstand compressive
loading is of a tubular and interleaved construction comprising a
pair of end plates and an intermediate annular plate which serves
to stiffen a tubular elastomeric body provided between the end
plates. A buffer member is secured to one of the end plates and
extends longitudinally within the tubular body to lie normally free
from contact with the tubular body. A protective cushioning layer
provided between the buffer member and internal edge of the
intermediate plate prevents direct contact between the buffer
member and intermediate plate under transverse load.
Inventors: |
Ingham; Peter L. (Leamington
SPA, GB2) |
Assignee: |
Dunlop Limited
(GB)
|
Family
ID: |
26293714 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/330,135 |
Filed: |
March 29, 1989 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 31, 1988 [GB] |
|
|
8807658 |
May 11, 1988 [GB] |
|
|
8811198 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
267/293; 248/635;
267/141.1; 267/294 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60K
5/1291 (20130101); F16F 1/371 (20130101); F16F
1/54 (20130101); B60G 2202/143 (20130101); B60G
2204/125 (20130101); B60G 2204/4504 (20130101); F16F
2236/123 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60K
5/12 (20060101); F16F 1/42 (20060101); F16F
1/36 (20060101); F16F 1/54 (20060101); F16F
1/371 (20060101); F16F 007/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;248/560,632,633,634,635,638 ;267/141.1,141.2,141.4,294,293 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
|
0122184 |
|
Oct 1984 |
|
EP |
|
706612 |
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Apr 1941 |
|
DE2 |
|
3529199 |
|
Feb 1986 |
|
DE |
|
3734910 |
|
Sep 1988 |
|
DE |
|
829938 |
|
Jul 1938 |
|
FR |
|
1158530 |
|
Jan 1958 |
|
FR |
|
2141068 |
|
Jan 1973 |
|
FR |
|
649623 |
|
Nov 1962 |
|
IT |
|
18636 |
|
Jan 1985 |
|
JP |
|
493119 |
|
Oct 1938 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Ramirez; Ramon O.
Assistant Examiner: Olson; Robert A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Stevens, Davis, Miller &
Mosher
Claims
I claim:
1. A resilient mounting comprising:
a resilient component comprising a substantially tubular body of
elastomeric material located between and bonded to generally planar
confronting surfaces of a pair of end members, said body of
elastomeric material being reinforced by an embedded annular
reinforcement element of generally planar form arranged to lie
between and substantially parallel with said confronting surfaces
of the end members, and a first of said end members being of an
annular form, a bummer member secured to a second of said members
and located within the internal cavity defined by the tubular body
to lie spaced from the internal surface of the tubular body when
the mounting is an unstressed condition, said buffer member
extending axially over substantially the entire length of said
internal cavity, and
a buffer layer of elastomeric material provided between at least
the buffer member and each of the reinforcement element and said
first end member to prevent direct contact therebetween when the
mounting is subject to transverse load.
2. A resilient mounting according to claim 1 wherein said
elastomeric material of the tubular body is arranged to extend over
the inner edge of the annular reinforcement element thereby to act
as said buffer layer to prevent direct contact of the reinforcement
element with the buffer member when the mounting is subject to
transverse load.
3. A resilient mounting according to claim 1 wherein one of said
end members is an annular member and the elastomeric material of
the tubular body is arranged to extend over the inner edge of that
member.
4. A resilient mounting according to claim 1 wherein as considered
in longitudinal cross-section the internal surface of the tubular
body is straight.
5. A resilient mounting according to claim 4 wherein the internal
surface of the tubular body has a cylindrical shape.
6. A resilient mounting according to claim 1 wherein the buffer
member comprises a head portion lying externally of the internal
cavity, said head portion being provided with axial buffer means to
restrict longitudinal extension of the tubular body.
7. A resilient mounting according to claim 6 wherein the buffer
member comprises a sleeve of rigid material clamped between said
head portion and said one of said end members and arranged as a
buffer surface which confronts the bore of the tubular body.
Description
This invention relates to a resilient mounting and to an assembly
of two components resiliently interconnected by the resilient
mounting of the invention.
The invention is directed in particular, though not exclusively, to
a resilient mounting able to withstand high compression load with
low deflection in a first, longitudinal direction and to exhibit a
relatively low stiffness in a second, transverse direction
perpendicular to said first direction. Typically the mounting is
orientated with the first, longitudinal direction lying vertically
and with the second, transverse direction therefore lying
horizontally.
In accordance with one of its aspects the present invention
provides a resilient mounting comprising a resilient component
comprising a substantially tubular body of elastomeric material
located between and bonded to generally planar confronting surfaces
of a pair of end members, said body of elastomeric material being
reinforced by an embedded annular reinforcement element of
generally planar form arranged to lie between and substantially
parallel with said confronting surfaces of the end members, a
buffer member located within the internal cavity defined by the
tubular body and secured to one of said end members, and a layer of
elastomeric material provided between at least the reinforcement
element and buffer member to prevent direct contact between said
element and member when the mounting is subject to transverse
load.
The elastomeric material of the tubular body may extend over the
inner edge of the annular reinforcement element, and if an end
member is also of annular form the elastomeric material may extend
over the inner edge of that member. The elastomeric material
therefore is able to act as a cushion layer and prevent the buffer
member provided within the internal cavity of the tubular body from
coming into direct contact with the reinforcement element or an
annular end member when the mounting is subjected to transverse
loading.
Preferably a layer of elastomeric material is provided to prevent
direct contact between the buffer member and annular reinforcement
element. If the buffer member extends through an annular end member
in an arrangement in which it is normally spaced therefrom in the
absence of applied load, a layer of elastomeric material, which may
be the same as a layer between the buffer member and reinforcement
element, may be provided to prevent direct contact between the
buffer member and end member.
Said layer of elastomeric material may be comprised by a sleeve of
elastomeric material carried by the buffer member but preferably it
is comprised by the elastomeric material of the tubular body
arranged to extend over an inner edge of the reinforcement member
and/or an annular end member.
The buffer member may be comprised by attachment means, such as a
bolt, provided for example for attachment of one of the end members
to one of two components to be interconnected by the resilient
mounting of the present invention.
Preferably the attachment means is comprised by a bolt of stepped
diameter, a first portion of larger diameter being arranged in the
internal cavity and a second portion of reduced diameter extending
through a central aperture in one of the end members and being
screw-threaded over part of its length to facilitate attachment to
one of two components to be interconnected. An annular shoulder
defined by a step in diameter between the first and second portions
may be arranged to engage the periphery of the central aperture in
said one of the end members whereby said end member may be clamped
to said one of the two components by the attachment means.
Alternatively the attachment means may be comprised by an
essentially equivalent arrangement of, say, a conventional bolt of
substantially uniform diameter surrounded over part of its length
by a rigid sleeve.
The other of the end members also may be apertured so that the bolt
or other attachment means may extend therethrough with a head
portion lying outside the internal cavity. In such an arrangement
an inner face of the head portion may be used to act as an axial
stop to limit axial extension of the resilient mounting in said
first direction. In an assembled condition the inner face of the
head portion may confront the other of said end members or one of
the interconnected components; one of the confronting surfaces of
the head portion and end member or interconnected component may be
provided with a cushion layer of elastomeric material to prevent
direct contact of said confronting surfaces.
The tubular body of elastomeric material may be provided with more
than one embedded reinforcement element. The or each reinforcement
element typically is an annular steel plate but other materials
such as glass or woven fabric may be employed. Preferably the or
each reinforcement element has a cross-sectional shape and
dimensions corresponding to those of the adjacent elastomeric
material in which it is embedded apart from its inner edge which
must be spaced from the internal cavity of the tubular body so that
the elastomeric material may extend over said inner edge to act as
a cushion layer.
It is envisaged that for most applications the tubular body of
elastomeric material will be of a cylindrical form having
substantially cylindrically shaped inner and outer surfaces; in
this case any buffer member provided within the internal cavity of
the tubular body also may have a cylindrical shape. In consequence
the resulting resilient mounting, and an assembly incorporating
said resilient mounting, will have substantially uniform load
deflection characteristics in all transverse directions. Especially
if the transverse load deflection characteristic is to vary with
direction, the elastomeric material of the tubular body may depart
from an internal cylindrical shape-it may for example be oval in
cross-section. The buffer surface of any buffer member provided
within the internal cavity also may depart from a cylindrical shape
depending on the internal profile of the tubular elastomeric body
and whether or not a uniform extent of unbuffered deflection is to
be allowed in all transverse directions.
The end members may be formed from a substantially rigid metallic
material but other materials such as plastics may be employed.
Two embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by
way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a component part of a resilient
mounting in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the component part shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a resilient mounting assembly
incorporating the component part of FIGS. 1 and 2, and
FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 of a resilient mounting
assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention.
A component part 10 (shown in FIG. 1) of a resilient mounting
comprises an upper rigid metal end member 11, a lower rigid metal
end member 12 and a cylindrical tubular body 13 of elastomeric
material, such as natural rubber, bonded between confronting
surfaces 14, 15 of said end members.
The upper end member is of an annular form having an outer diameter
corresponding to the outer diameter of the tubular body 13. It has
an internal diameter significantly less than the internal diameter
of the tubular body, in particular in the order of one half that of
the internal diameter of the tubular body, for the purpose
described below.
The lower end member has a profiled outer shape as shown in FIG. 2
and which comprises a pair of flanged regions 16 each having an
aperture 17 to facilitate attachment of that end member to one of
two components to be interconnected by the resilient mounting. The
lower end member has a central aperture 18 the diameter of which is
slightly greater than that of the internal diameter of the tubular
body as shown in FIG. 1. The material of the plate surrounding the
aperture is turned upwards as also shown in FIG. 1 so that the
inner edge of the plate is wholly embedded in the elastomeric
material. Thus a cushioning layer of elastomeric material lies
between the radially inner edge of the plate 12 and the bore of the
tubular body 13.
The tubular body 13 has embedded therein, mid-way between its ends,
a single annular metal reinforcing plate 19. The outer diameter of
the plate corresponds substantially with the outer diameter of the
tubular body 13 but the internal diameter of the annular plate is
greater than the internal diameter of the body whereby the inner
edge of the plate is covered by a cushioning layer 20 of the
elastomeric material of the body 13 without the internal surface of
that body needing to depart from a straight profile as considered
in the longitudinal cross-section of FIG. 1.
In use of the resilient mounting to support the weight of an engine
the end members 11, 12 of the component part 10 are disposed
generally horizontally and connected respectively to two
components, an engine support bracket 21 and a vehicle cross member
22 to be interconnected by the mounting.
The lower member 12 is bolted directly to the cross member 22 by
means of bolts (not shown) extending through the apertures 17.
The upper member 11 is secured to the engine support bracket 21 by
an attachment component which in combination with the component
part 10 forms the resilient mounting. The attachment component is
in the form of a specially profiled bolt 23 which in the mounting
additionally serves as an overload buffer.
The bolt 23 has a first body portion 24 which lies within the
internal cavity 25 of the tubular body 13 and extends downwards
therefrom, as viewed in FIG. 3, through the lower plate aperture 18
and a corresponding aperture 26 in the vehicle cross member 22. The
diameter of the portion 24 lies substantially mid-way between the
internal diameter of the upper plate 11 and the internal diameter
of the tubular body 13.
A second body portion 27 extends upwardly from the first portion
24, as viewed in FIG. 3, and is screw-threaded for engagement with
the engine support bracket 21. The second body portion is a close
fit in the aperture of the upper member 11, and the shoulder region
28 at the step in diameter between the first and second portions
24, 27 engages a shim 32 which bears against the portion of the
face 14 surrounding the aperture; in consequence the shoulder
region serves to clamp the upper member 11 to the engine support
bracket 21.
A head portion 29 extends from the lower end of the first body
portion 24 of the bolt and a washer 30 secured to the head portion,
for example by welding, supports an annular rubber buffer 31. The
buffer 31 is positioned so as to be spaced slightly from a
confronting surface of the vehicle cross member 22 when in an
unloaded condition as shown in FIG. 3. In the event of the
resilient mounting being subject to a tensile loading the buffer 31
acts as an axial buffer which engages the cross member before
damaging tensile loads are experienced by the tubular elastomeric
body 13.
Relative transverse movement of the engine support bracket and
vehicle cross member normally is accommodated by the reinforced
elastomeric tubular body 13 which is readily able to deform by
shear in said transverse direction. Excess relative movement is
restrained by engagement of the cylindrical internal surface of the
tubular body with the first body portion 24 of the attachment bolt
23, the material of the tubular body cushioning the buffer from
direct contact with the plates 12, 19. To ensure good operation of
the annular buffer 31 for vertical rebound control when the
resilient mounting is subject to high transverse deflection the
diameter of aperture 26 in the cross member 22 is greater than that
of the internal diameter of the tubular body 13.
In a modified embodiment of the invention, not illustrated, the
upper member 11 of FIG. 3 may be spaced from member 21 by the base
portion of an inverted cup having a downwardly and outwardly
extending skirt portion depending from that base portion to act as
an oil shield and protect the elastomeric material from possible
contamination.
In a second embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 4, a
resilient mounting comprises a component part 10 as shown in FIG. 1
arranged in combination with a buffer member 40 of modified form.
In FIG. 4 parts which correspond with parts shown in FIG. 3 bear
like reference numerals. The buffer member 40 corresponds with that
shown in FIG. 3 except that the metal portion 24 of buffer 21 is
replaced by a metal portion 41 of smaller diameter, and is
surrounded by a steel sleeve 42. The outer diameter of the sleeve
42 corresponds with the outer diameter of the portion 24.
An upper end of the sleeve 42 bears against shim 32 and the lower
end bears against the washer 30 associated with the axial buffer
31. In the resulting construction as illustrated, tightening of the
screw-threaded bolt portion 27 in the engine support bracket 21
results in clamping together of the axial buffer 31, sleeve 42,
shim 32 and upper end member 11 between the bolt head portion 29
and the support bracket 21. Because of this clamping action it is
not necessary to weld or otherwise additionally secure the axial
buffer relative to the bolt head portion 29.
* * * * *